Lincoln Theater in 2024!

By Aja Martin

TADA Productions, Inc. 

Located in the Creamery Building at Seventh and P streets in Lincoln’s Haymarket. For more information on performances, comedy nights, and one-night events, visit tadaproductions.info. They are sure to have something that will appeal to even the pickiest critics in your group. Evening performances 7:30 pm; matinees 2 pm.

Nunsense 2: The Second Coming • February 8-25, 2024
The Little Sisters of Hoboken return in this sequel to Nunsense and they’re funnier, zanier, and more lovable than ever! After the success of their first benefit performance and being bitten by the theater bug, the nuns present a Thank You Program on the high school set of South Pacific. Things quickly spiral out of control as the Sisters learn there is a talent scout in the audience. This heavily hilarious production will have the audience rolling in the aisles with laughter.

Fools • April 4-21, 2024
Written by the playwright Neil Simon, this fairy-tale comedic production is set in Kulyenchikov, a village cursed with chronic stupidity for 200 years by Count Gregor Yousekevitch. When the villagers hire a schoolteacher to break the curse, he arrives to find an array of madcap characters who do everything from sweeping dust from the stoops back into their houses and people who think that if you milk a cow upside down, you get more cream! What he doesn’t know is if he stays more than 24 hours and fails to break the curse, he, too, will fall victim to becoming a fool forever.

Forever Plaid • June 13-30, 2024
This hallmark musical comedy centers on a quartet whose dream of recording an album ended in a bus collision while on their way to their biggest gig. Now, thanks to a hole in the ozone layer, they’ve been miraculously revived to perform the concert everyone’s been waiting for when doo-wop was king, big hairdos were in, cars had enormous fins, and the harmonizing bands of the 50s were all the rage. Their show consists of such hits as Sixteen Tons, Chain Gang, Three Coins in the Fountain, Cry, Catch a Falling Star, and more. Before The Jersey Boys there were THE PLAIDS!

Oz in Concert • August 8-25, 2024
Based on the book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, written by L. Frank Baum, this magical musical treat for all ages tells the story of young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto who are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to a magical land. Once she arrives, she soon discovers that she must embark on a quest by following the yellow brick road where she comes across a rather unique set of friends and other creatures. 

The Rocky Horror Show • October 10-27, 2024
This fresh, new telling of a classic rock favorite follows squeaky-clean sweethearts Brad and Janet on an adventure they’ll never forget, with scandalous Frank’n’Furter, rippling Rocky, rascally Riff Raff and vivacious Magenta. Bursting at the seams with timeless classics that include Damn It Janet, Sweet Transvestite and of course Time Warp, The Rocky Horror Show is a non-stop party!

It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play • December 5-15, 2024
The entire town of Bedford Falls come to life in this staged 1940s radio broadcast of Frank Capra’s holiday movie classic. With live sound effects and a handful of actors playing all the characters, the story of beleaguered building and loan owner George Bailey and his affable helper angel, Clarence, unfolds one fateful Christmas Eve as you’ve never seen it before. This captivating, life-affirming story is a holiday treat for the entire family!

The Lincoln Community Playhouse 

Located at 2500 S. 56th Street. To buy tickets or find information on their programs, visit lincolnplayhouse.com. Fridays & Saturdays 7:30 pm;
Sundays 2 pm.

Simply Simone: The Music of Nina Simone • January 26-28, 2024; February 2-4, 2024
Four women embody Nina Simone in this musical revue featuring 30 songs including Strange Fruit, I Loves You, Porgy, The Look of Love, Here Comes the Sun, and Mississippi Goddam.

Cabaret • March 1-3 & 8-10, 2024
In a Berlin nightclub, as the 1930s draw to a close, a garish Master of Ceremonies welcomes the audience and assures them they will forget all their troubles at the Cabaret. Cabaret explores the dark, heady, and tumultuous life of Berlin’s natives and expatriates as Germany slowly yields to the emerging Third Reich.

The Play That Goes Wrong • May 3-5 & 10-12, 2024
Welcome to opening night of the Cornley University Drama Society’s newest production, The Murder at Haversham Manor, where things are quickly going from bad to utterly disastrous. This 1920s whodunit has everything you never wanted in a show—an unconscious leading lady, a corpse that can’t play dead, and actors who trip over everything (including their lines). Nevertheless, the accident-prone thespians battle against all odds to make it through to their final curtain call, with hilarious consequences!

Annie Jr. • June 7-9 & 14-16, 2024
With equal measures of pluck and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie is determined to find the parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. 

The Penguin Project production is performed by young artists with special needs in partnership with peer mentors during the regular season. The Playhouse celebrates the 10th anniversary of the Penguin Project by returning to their first show from 2014. 

Nebraska Repertory Theatre

Located on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s city campus, in the Hixson-Lied College of Fine Arts Building. Visit nebraskarep.org for more information. Evening Performances 7:30 pm; Sundays 2 pm.

The Flick • February 29 – March 9, 2024
Set in a run down movie palace near Worcester, Massachusetts and follows three underpaid employees, Avery, Sam and Rose. The show is a comedy of the mundane delivered in bits of conversation that “might be considered insignificant.”

Big Fish • April 25 – May 4, 2024
A musical production, with lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the novel by Daniel Wallace. Big Fish revolves around the relationship between Edward Bloom, a travelling salesman, and his adult son Will. The story shifts between two timelines; present day as Will prepares to become a father and yesteryear as Edward’s travels bring him to a Witch, a Giant, a Mermaid, and the love of his life, Sandra.

Nebraska Wesleyan
University Theatre

Located on Nebraska Wesleyan University’s campus, 51st and Huntington Avenue. Visit www.nebrwesleyan.edu/theatre/current-season to purchase tickets. Thursdays – Saturdays 7:30 pm; Sundays 2 pm.

Romeo and Juliet • January 25 – February 4, 2024
A beautiful production of Shakespeare’s timeless tale of teenage love and tragedy The Hello Girls • February 15-25, 2024
Fearless telephone operators in World War I played an essential role in wartime communications. They were also overlooked heroes in the fight for gender equity. Rediscover their stories in this new musical about joy in service, love in humanity and growth in society.

The Good Doctor • March 14-17, 2024
If laughter is the best medicine, Neil Simon prescribes us a powerful dose of Chekhov. This play’s writer/narrator deals with his writer’s block by hopping from story to story in Chekhov’s colorful medicine cabinet—student-directed spotlight.

The Mousetrap • March 21 – April 7, 2024
The snowed-in setting of this countryside guesthouse could’ve been the stuff of Christmas carols. But this is Agatha Christie we’re talking about, so there’s a killer on the loose. This spine-tingling whodunnit has run for a record-setting 70 years and counting in London.

The Prom • April 18-28, 2024
A Midwestern school district doesn’t want the spectacle of a school dance open to same-sex dates. So they cancel the prom. Spectacle arrives anyway in the form of some fading Broadway stars hungry for a publicity bump as they advocate for inclusive student participation. Who will have the last dance?

Lied Center for Performing Arts

12th and R Streets; liedcenter.org—See pages 40-41

Theatres with productions not yet announced: 

Pinewood Bowl; pinewoodbowl.org
The Pinewood Bowl is an open-air amphitheater located within Pioneers Park. The 2024 Season marks 75 years of live theatre in the park. Check their events listings to find out about music, performance, and educational offerings!

Flatwater Shakespeare Company;
flatwatershakespearecompany.org
The Flatwater Shakespeare Company’s first show is always at the open-air Stables at Wyuka Cemetery (3600 O Street). They then move to other venues across the city to finish the summer. See Shakespeare performed in some of Lincoln’s best locations, including the Lincoln Community Garden, James Arthur Vineyards, Pioneers Park Nature Center and the Railyard’s Canopy street, as well as city parks like Henry, Cooper and Holmes.

The Angels Theatre Company;
angelscompany.org

Due to their nature as a collaborative collective, The Angels Theatre Company is bound to no singular address. Check their website to find their 2024 production announcement.

The Rococo Theatre; rococotheatre.com

Great care was taken to refurbish the Rococo Building to its 1929 glory. This venue hosts an incredible variety of public and private events. See their website to find music, comedy, book readings, live performances, and more. See page 23 for more information.

Mahoney State Park Melodramas;
melodrama.net

Located between Lincoln and Omaha, Mahoney State Park offers campsites, rental cabins, and lodgings. Since 1993, from May to August, families the park has also offered evenings of booing at villains and cheering for heroines. For a complete schedule, visit melodrama.net.